I have heard directly, from countless young people and seniors, that we’re losing the next generation of Warwick because too many who were raised here can’t afford to live here. We don’t have to accept that as a given. We also don’t have to paint ourselves into a corner by limiting ourselves to federal and state affordable housing programs and definitions. Communities across America are exploring creative ways to make housing more accessible for — and acceptable to — their neighbors. Here are just a handful of strategies I want to explore when I am on the Town Board:

• First, we need to incentivize development of starter homes instead of McMansions. One way is by creating a Community Land Trust (CLT) — a housing model designed to promote affordability by decoupling land ownership from the ownership of the building situated on the land. Similar to the way our Conservation Land Trust invests in preserving the land for farming, a CLT preserves the land for families. One place to start might be with the handful of Warwick “zombie houses” — semi-abandoned homes that are vacant but caught up on taxes. A CLT might buy them up, remove a safety hazard from the community, and help transform them into multi-family or starter homes.

• Creative adaptive reuse strategies would allow us to change zoning ordinances and overlay districts to permit conversion of commercial zones and properties into residential opportunities. It’ll take some creativity, but I’m ready to roll up my sleeves.

• A number of New York communities are discussing Tenant and Community Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA/COPA) policies.

This is just the start. I look forward to collaborating with town leadership and community volunteers to come up with creative housing solutions that protect our town and our neighbors who want to stay right here.

No one gets left behind. Period. I have friends, family, neighbors, who are being targeted for who they love, or for trying to simply live a life that makes them happy. The Gospel of Matthew says, “By their fruits (actions) ye shall know them.” Those who attack the vulnerable are telling us exactly who they are. Some will call me a bleeding heart liberal for my stand on this. They’ll find out I’m a bleeding knuckle liberal if they come for the vulnerable on my watch.  

Your taxes are an investment in Warwick, and my goal is to make sure you get the return on that investment that you deserve. Transparency is a huge part of that promise. As a taxpayer, I want to know WHAT I am paying taxes FOR, and HOW those decisions are being made. When I am on the Board those decisions will never get made behind a closed door. The first thing I want to do is have open sessions with Warwick taxpayers, breaking down the budget, explaining it, debating it. Let’s talk about tax equity. Are all of our neighborhoods receiving the same return on their tax investment, or, as I have heard from lots of our neighbors, is an abundance going to the “beautiful” areas?

I’ve been in marketing for forty years, working with some of the strongest brands in America: Citi. HBO. Met Life. Verizon. AT&T. New York City itself. And I was taught decades ago that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are nothing more, nothing less, than American fairness and GOOD BUSINESS. Every truly successful company understands the importance of reflecting the community it serves. Of attracting the best and brightest, not just the boy who’s the whitest. Warwick can’t afford to pretend we don’t cater to a diverse region that is growing more diverse by the day.

As a member of the Town Board, I will carefully monitor the Town RFP process to make sure we are attracting Diverse talents and points of view that will make Warwick stronger, that our taxes are spent in an Equitable way, and ensure to Include emerging talent of all races, religions, genders, and capabilities, so they feel they have a reason to choose Warwick for their home.

I am committed to making sure Warwick is a leading voice in decisions that affect our local economic growth. That includes public transportation. Too often we hear “That’s a County issue.” Sure. But this… is my phone. I am going to pick it up, call the County and make sure that, even if we don’t get the final say in regional transit, we have an initial say. Our voices are heard.

While primarily a Village experience, the parking situation throughout Warwick is dreadful. People who live and work in Warwick have very little access to secure parking where they can leave their cars all day and simply do a day's work without threat of getting ticketed. One idea that was proposed to me by a young woman at Railroad Green a few weeks ago was to offer a yearly resident's pass that would allow residents to pay a few hundred bucks for a "park (almost) anywhere" license. We can also explore running a shuttle from new remote parking lots into town.

As Cory Booker said during his historic filibuster, this is a moral moment. Right now, the reaction to national issues is a sign of a person’s character. That’s why you’ll often hear me ask, “Republicans, are you OK with this?”

What are Republicans doing to protect the veterans, the federal workers, our immigrant neighbors, the children on SNAP, whose lives are being turned upside down by the chaos of their party?

We watched 6 NY Republican representatives lie to our faces, vote to gut Medicare and Medicaid, give tax cuts to billionaires, and surrender on SALT. Do our local representatives still plan to knock on doors and hold fundraisers for them this Fall?

My question for our local Republicans is a simple one: What’s more important to you: your party, or your town?